UPDATE 14 AUGUST: Culinary surprise

Shopping, as is inevitable, takes Jassi a long, long time. Finally Armaan gets exasperated as she stops at yet another shop of woolen Kullu caps and shawls.

"Jassi", he pouts like an impatient schoolboy. "Ab aur kitni shopping baaki hai…..poora town khareed kar Mumbai mein transplant karna hai kya? Mujhe bhookh lag rahi hai!"

Jassi: Armaan….bas ek minute aur….. (starts bargaining over a pair of red woolen gloves)

Armaan shuffles up and whispers, "Yeh le kar kya faayda….Mumbai mein inki zaroorat kab padegi?"

Jassi: Kabhi pad jaye toh? Itna achcha bargain mil raha hai….

Armaan gives a "Oh you women" expression and starts walking slowly down the road. Jassi, having paid for and gathered up her purchases, runs to catch up.

Jassi: (panting) Hum kahaan ja rahe hai?

Armaan: Koi achcha restaurant dhoonde…mere pet mein choohe kood rahe hai!

She grabs his arm. "Hum restaurant mein nahin khayenge!"

Armu: (nonplussed) Nahin? Toh phir kahaan…..

"Wahaan!" she points to a quaint old shack on the roadside, with no door, just a thin sheet hanging at the entrance like a makeshift curtain. Armu stares at her. "Yahaan? Yeh hai kya??"

Jassi: Jab hum market jaate waqt yahaan se guzre the, tab maine andar jhaank kar dekha tha…..yahaan ek aunty bahut tasty momos banaati hai…chalo chale…

She lightly parts the curtain and calls, "Aunty…..momos hai?"

A cracked old voice responds from within, "Kyun nahin…..tomato soup aur chowmein bhi hai….andar aa jao…"

She takes a rather hesitant Armu's arm and leads him inside the tiny room. A wizened old Tibetan woman is sitting in a corner, watching over an assortment of pans. A faded picture of the Dalai Lama hangs on one wall. A weathered wooden bench is the only seat available, and JandA sit down on it. One corner has a tap and bucket, along with a broom. A tiny drain cuts right across the floor. Despite all this, there is a mysterious dignity and old-world charm about the place that holds them spellbound.

The old lady heaps momos (dim sum) onto their plates along with generous helpings of garlic sauce. The combination is so spicy that even hot-hot 😳JandA find themselves gasping. She observes them with twinkling eyes and hands them each a steel tumbler of clean mountain water. Armaan downs the entire glass in one gulp, then wipes his eyes and stares bemusedly at the cook.

"Aunty, aaj toh mazaa aa gaya….itna interesting lunch toh maine kabhi nahin khaya!"

Jassi gives him a knowing glance as if to say, "I told you so!"😆

Tomorrow: Preparing to leave